Sen. Mark Kirk’s (R-Ill.) staff today released the first photo of him since he suffered a stroke in January. The image shows the first-term Senator seated at a table, wearing an olive green polo shirt and looking straight ahead.

Kirk, 52, continues to recover at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which captured the image. His doctor there also released a statement adding that Kirk is "fully engaged in all aspects of his rehabilitation program.”

“He is mentally sharp, and meets with his staff nearly every day to discuss policy issues and global current events," wrote Dr. Richard L. Harvey, the medical director at RIC’s Center for Stroke Rehabilitation. "Senator Kirk is working very hard in daily therapy sessions to increase his strength and mobility, and has walked more than 10 miles in total since his arrival at RIC. In addition he is climbing stairs and getting in and out of vehicles."

Kirk will also participate in a research trial lasting several weeks that includes an “intense regimen of continuous walking over flat surfaces, on stairs and on a treadmill every day," Harvey continued.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) spoke with Kirk last month on the phone, describing him as "eager to discuss policy."